Magazine Advertising Continues Growth Trend In March

Monday, April 14, 2003

Press release from the issuing company

New York, NY (April 10, 2003) — Total magazine advertising revenue for the month of March increased 11.6% compared to March of last year, closing at $1,593,908,286, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages for March totaled 21,561.0, up 9.1% from last year. Year-to-date, advertising revenue closed at $3,701,597,008, an increase of 10.3%, and ad pages were 49,729.3, up 5.3% from last year.
March 2003 vs. 2002
Nine of the 12 major advertising categories experienced growth in advertising revenue over March 2002, while nine of 12 recorded ad page growth. Drugs & Remedies and Home Furnishings & Supplies saw significant increases in ad revenue and pages in March 2003. Only Technology experienced declines in both revenue and pages. (Twelve categories are the most significant contributors to PIB revenue, comprising more than 85% of total advertising spending.)
January – March 2003 vs. 2002
Ten out of the 12 major advertising categories sustained dollar gains for the year-to-date comparison, with eight of 12 seeing growth in ad pages. Automotive and Drugs & Remedies registered notable increases in both revenue and pages. Technology; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; Direct Response; and Food & Food Products experienced declines in ad pages, year-to-date.
“We are pleased that the first quarter of 2003 closed on a positive note,” commented Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, MPA. “Most categories experienced gains, but the standouts are still: Automotive, Drugs & Remedies and Home Furnishings & Supplies. From what we’ve been hearing, maintaining market share continues to be a major concern for the Automotive category. Drugs & Remedies advertisers have consistently believed in magazines as a great medium to disseminate information about their products. And, the success of Home Furnishings & Supplies could be due to the consumers’ sustained interest in ‘home-and-hearth.’”